EQ in Wonderland starts, as expected, where the last book left off with Ellie and Jez stowaways aboard a freight ship escaping from Harpers Reach. Be warned, this is the 4th in series and so there will probably be spoilers.

Unexpectedly they’re put down on an unopened theme park and need to await the arrival of a shuttle before they can get off this tiny chunk floating in space. At the same time, back on Harper’s Reach the Administration are investigating Ellie, desperately trying to find her whereabouts and uncovering some startling facts about her past life and acquaintances.

So, Wonderland. A fairly large holiday destination that never was! Unopened for some reason. Large bio domes within which different worlds exist. They can be changed and reprogrammed to look like virtually anything – a beautiful beach with the waves lapping on the sand, or snow peaked mountains with valleys resplendent with pine forests. It’s inhabitants can likewise be created – walking and talking jelly beans or puffs of candy! And yet, something is a little off in Wonderland. Two people remain in Wonderland – seemingly caretakers of sorts they spend their time recreating worlds and playing games to fill the days. One of these characters is a pretty hot surfer dude who Jez seems to be developing feelings for. The other is a slightly off kilter guy who Ellie seems to have wound up with (rather than playing the third wheel). Wonderland is a strange place – it kind of puts me in mind of a futuristic West World.

Meanwhile on Harper’s Reach the search continues. It appears that Ellie is more than first meets the eye – or at least she is to others. A terrorist organisation called the Awoken have been covertly watching Ellie since she was a tiny nipper. It’s all very mysterious.

I admit I’m really enjoying this series. Yes, it’s very simple to follow but it’s intriguing and I confess I want to know what the hell is going on with Ellie.

This is however going to be a short review as this is a short book.

The crux of the matter is – I would recommend this, I think it makes a great series for people who want to take on board more sci fi, okay, maybe it’s not all majorly deep and meaningful, it’s not difficult to understand, it’s not full of internal politics and conflict but it’s entertaining and I look forward to reading the next instalment. I don’t mind saying it’s fun – there I said the ‘f’ word!

In terms of criticisms – well, this ends on a cliffhanger! Not everyone’s cup of tea I appreciate.

However, unless this series takes a serious turn for the worse I will continue to the end!

This is one of my reads for Sci Fi November 2014. Check out the details here.

I skipped the review as I don’t want any spoilers and just read your ending remarks. Glad you enjoyed it. Doesn’t surprise me that it ended in a cliffhanger, as that has how they have been thus far. I noticed on his site recently that he has pictures up for books 5 and 6, but no release dates. His Time Riders series appears to be ending, so hopefully he will concentrate on this one more.

I thought it was really good – and I was almost like deflated when I realised the next one isn’t due out yet and no date anywhere to be found!! Haha, I should have held out a little longer before reading!
Lynn 😀